


The Final Straw

by WriteCrazily



Category: DCU (Comics), Justice League - All Media Types, Shazam! | Captain Marvel (Comics)
Genre: AU, Alcohol, Billy deserves better, Identity Reveal, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Panic Attack, Protective Bruce Wayne, Protective Clark Kent, Protective Justice League, Protective Victor Stone, Swearing, billy needs a hug, billy's foster parents are the worst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28699881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriteCrazily/pseuds/WriteCrazily
Summary: The meeting was interrupted by Victor's communicator, yet the man didn't seem annoyed like the others were. No, he looked worried."I need to take this," he says, the concern evident in his tone and that's when everyone realises there's something wrong. The only person who wasn't in the room with them was Captain Marvel.The only sound in the room was the stifled sob of a young boy who was most certainly not the Champion, yet it pulled at the League's heartstrings, wondering what would make this boy so scared."Victor, I need - I need help, please, please, please," were the first words the boy spoke, pure, unadulterated terror evident in his tone. "He's here, he's drunk, so's she, please, please -"Victor gave him hushed assurances, but was already standing up and left the room quickly.The League did not have an idea of what was going on.~~~An AU where the marks Billy Batson gains appears on his Champion form, yet much less pronounced. Along with Billy staying in the foster homes, if only because he knows he won't be much help to the team starving and weak.Read the tags!
Relationships: Billy Batson & Bruce Wayne, Billy Batson & Clark Kent, Billy Batson & Everyone, Billy Batson & Justice League, Billy Batson & Original Female Character, Billy Batson & Victor Stone, Billy Batson & original male character
Comments: 80
Kudos: 236





	1. The Start of it All

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I have not written for this fandom before, but I absolutely love Billy (so much so I make him suffer due to my love of *angst*). You guys will hate me by the end of this.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Explanations on AU:  
> \- I loved the ideas of the scars Captain Marvel gains on Billy, but what about the other way around? Of course, it's unlikely, what with the Gods and all, but I figured it would be interesting, so here you go!  
> \- I also wanted a fic where there was a reveal through Billy's home life, not his home*less* life. See what I did there?  
> \- And, of course, there are plotholes. Could Billy transform into Captain Marvel and stop his foster parents from hurting him? Yes. Would he? Not at all. He's young, but he understands responsibility.  
> \- The thing about foster homes and Billy Batson in canon, is that he would not go back. Ever. He experiences it once and he does not want to suffer again. However, this is an AU, and my explanation is: it showed in his Champion form how starved he was (as Billy's actions show in that form), so... well, you'll find out in the first chapter.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> If you have any questions about this AU, drop a comment! (And maybe a sneaky kudos, hmm? I jest, I jest, you do you.)  
> But seriously, any questions I can answer very quickly!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of it all starts the end of it all.
> 
> Billy needs to start speaking up.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Warning: Implication of abuse.

Captain Marvel had entered the Watchtower with a massive, childlike grin on his face as per usual. He easily got into his usual routine of walking around, chatting to the League members before ultimately ending up by Victor, where he always finished his rounds in order to relax for a while.

"Hey, Cap," Victor said, winking at the man to show he was still trustworthy.

Victor Stone was the only person that Captain Marvel had trusted with his identity - and even then, it was a last-minute thing to get him out of a situation with some bullies in Fawcett.

"Hey Vic," Captain Marvel said, a warm smile now gracing his face. It turned confused as he smelt something - was it pizza day, or something?

Voicing his question to Victor, the man responded in the affirmative, taking the Captain in fully, concerned.

"Hey," he said quietly, trying to imply to the other League members that they shouldn't listen in, "how much have you eaten recently?"

Billy (because he felt more like Billy than the Captain) looked down, the awkward tension obvious now. And as much as he hated to admit it, he hadn't been able to find anybody to pay him for any small jobs, so he hadn't eaten as much. Any food he ate as the Captain wasn't retained in Billy's body.

"I haven't had the chance," Billy said shortly, getting up quickly and moving towards the cafeteria, thus ending the conversation before it had truly begun to start.

The others in the room had noticed the encounter, and Clark made haste towards Victor, eyebrows furrowed.

"What was that about?" he asked softly, knowing that Victor hated when him and Marvel got into an argument. "He seemed angry. And - well - he seemed slimmer than before, but surely he wouldn't be on a diet, he wouldn't need to."

Victor hesitated. It wasn't up to him to divulge parts of Billy's private life.

"I just said something insensitive," he finally decided on saying. "He doesn't take stuff like that well, and I know that, but I said it anyway."

Victor nodded at them before leaving.

* * *

"Victor, I don't understand what you're saying! Surely you understand why I don't want to go back," Billy implored, eyes wide as he took in Victor's suggestion.

"Listen, Billy," Victor spoke in a quiet, almost silent tone, "I know, but you need proper food and care and only the foster homes can provide you with that at the moment. Anything else requires you to reveal your identity to _someone."_

"I just can't trust them anymore, Vic," Billy said, sounding far older than he truly was. "Not after everything I've been through."

Victor sighed. He would never know the horrors Billy had been through, and he wasn't even sure if he wanted to.

"I'll give them a full background check," Victor offered. "Them, their parents, their grandparents?"

Billy looked at the ground.

"Fine," he muttered, knowing he was giving in far too easily, but also - though he would never admit it - _craving_ familial love that he hadn't had the chance to properly experience.

"Thanks, Billy," Victor said, relieved. "I won't let you get hurt."

If only Billy knew how those words would grow to be an accidental lie - yet a lie nonetheless.

* * *

Billy scowled as the social worker caught his eye again - clearly this woman was trying to make sure he wouldn't run away again. Really, she didn't understand that _because he gave himself up to them meant he wasn't going to run._

A simple mind she was.

The couple that were collecting Billy had plain names (Martin and Sarah Lee), and he knew that Victor had done such a large background check that he had practically _sent_ them to him.

Of course, Billy wouldn't state it like that in case things went bad. He wouldn't want Victor to feel guilty.

Once again, though, the background check was so extensive that surely Victor couldn't have missed anything; he didn't, Billy knew that.

He just felt... anxious. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. 

No. No, he wouldn't worry about it. It wasn't worth his time for the moment, he just needed to focus on introducing himself to his new foster parents.

The social worker cast another look (did she really think he couldn't see her?), before answering the phone, setting one more glance upon him before rushing a pair into the room.

"Introduce yourself," she demanded, leaving the room shortly afterwards. It was clear that she did not want to be there for the meeting.

"Um... I'm Billy Batson," Billy offered up, looking down at the floor before staring directly at the couple. 

They didn't appear the nicest.

The woman - Sarah, Billy reminded himself - had what appeared to be a permanent scowl on her face, yet she seemed to be trying to smile. It only ended with a slightly frightening look - any normal ten-year-old would be scared if they weren't him. She was thin and bony, with sharp elbows and weak knees. However she looked as though she could do some damage if she wanted - Billy gulped at the thought.

_No. Victor promised. They're fine._

Martin, the husband, looked the stark opposite of his wife, with a handsome face and a sharp jawline. He alone could hide Sarah behind him, along with Billy and at least two other children. He looked strong, but his kind face didn't show the want to hurt. Billy had seen it many times in adults.

"I'm Martin Lee, and this is my wife Sarah Lee," Martin said gently, kneeling in front of Billy. He gave a wince when landing on his knee _(he was old, his knees hurt, that was a weakness),_ but he gave a bright smile anyway. "Do you want to come home with us, Billy?"

It was phrased as a question, but Billy knew there was only one answer. His social worker wouldn't accept anything else.

"Yes, please," he said shyly, placing his hands on his knees, palms down. 

Martin had a happy grin, trading with a twinkle in his eye with his wife, but Billy hadn't had time to catch what it was.

_It was nothing._

"Thank you very much, sir," Billy said instead of pondering more.

"Please, call me Martin," he said instead, the smile staying on his face throughout it all.

* * *

When Captain Marvel appeared at the tower the next week (Superman had insisted on him not having duties up there until he had gotten things sorted out), Victor immediately pulled him away, the others allowing him.

"Hey there, Cap," Victor said, offering up a small, nervous smile. "How are things?"

Billy looked tired, but it was nothing out of the usual.

He should look _different_ now, though. Now he was living with people who could properly look after him, with a proper bed and proper clothes.

"Things are good," Marvel said honestly, rubbing his eyes. "I've got proper food now, and actual housing. I'm just not good at sleeping in new beds - or _a_ bed."

At that moment, Superman walked over.

"Proper food?" he inquired gently. "What do you mean by that, Cap?"

Obviously, he didn't mean to listen in. He had walked over at the wrong time, during the wrong conversation about the wrong people. Billy still felt embarrassed.

"Um," he murmured, clearly quieter than usual. The entire room had gone silent, although they were pretending to not be listening in.

Even the Justice League was nosy at times.

"I - I wasn't in the best situation," Billy started, trying to delicately move around the situation. "But Vic found some - some old family friends that offered to let me stay with them. It's all good now."

Victor nodded along, proud of Billy for not running from the problem at hand.

"If you ever need any help we're here," Clark said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. Agreements rang around the room and Billy's ears went red.

"Thank you."

He hastily exited the room, finding his way to - well, he didn't have a plan. He just didn't want to be in that uncomfortable atmosphere anymore.

Victor hurried after him.

"I forgot about Supes," Victor said as a way of an apology. "But seriously, are they okay? Did I research enough? Do you want me to find somebody else?"

"It's fine, Vic," Billy said softly, laying a hand on his shoulder. It felt strange for him to be comforting an adult. "They're nice people, I promise. The lady looks a bit scary, but she's good at cooking and she bought me things. It's going fine."

Victor looked relieved. He had likely been stressing over this for some time.

"That's good. If you have any troubles, we have that private channel on the comms," he reminded him. "Any time, any place. I'm always available."

"I know," Billy laughed, shaking his head. "You tell me every time we're alone now. I won't need to use it."

Even as he had spoken it, he knew that it wouldn't be true.

As he smiled, he thanked the gods that they couldn't see the small bruise on his collarbone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me if you want to continue, and once again if you have any troubles, concerns or questions about this AU then ask me!  
> (Or if you wanna have a chat, I'm always open haha)


	2. The Darkest Nightmares Fill My Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things were slowly getting worse, but it was fine. It was obvious that things weren't bad, the marks weren't appearing on the Captain, therefore they couldn't be that bad.
> 
> Nobody had noticed thus far anyway. It was fine.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Warning: Small details of child abuse - also I'm British and I know nothing about America's school system.

Things hadn't gotten much better, especially around Sarah (Billy now realised how much of a danger nails were), but considering it wasn't obvious, it couldn't be too bad. Victor would tell him if he had noticed anything, he was certain of it.

Right?

Yeah. He was his friend - his _best_ friend, he wouldn't lie to him, and he would most _certainly_ try and get Billy out of a bad situation. Particularly if he had known Billy to be in a situation like that _before._

So, since Victor hadn't said anything (and the marks on him surely weren't that invisible), that meant it was fine. 

This was somewhat like a normal family. Yes. Billy couldn't remember much of his parents anymore (the memories slowly parting with him day by day), therefore he couldn't remember what his family was like.

Normal. It had to be.

He had begun not dreading going back - as strange as it sounded - after leaving the Watchtower, because it was _normal._

_It had to be normal._

It wasn't anything like his former foster homes. They had either neglected him outright or had hurt him so badly he had to run away to save himself.

This wasn't one or the other, so it had to be normal. It was the only other option.

He shook his head. There was no need for him to continue thinking about this, not while he was on watch duty.

"Hey, Cap," Flash said as he finally sat down next to him. 

Marvel had been sitting there for quite a while, so in all meanings of the word Flash was late.

He didn't mind, though. He didn't have much else to do.

"How you doing?" he continued, biting into an apple he had brought with him. "You aren't around that much, your friends treating you well?"

Marvel chuckled, reclining in his chair. "Yeah, it's normal family things, I think." He shrugged. "I mean, I'm not _certain_ but I think it's how families normally act. It's... nice."

His hesitation was obvious, but Flash didn't comment on it. Marvel wasn't even sure if he had noticed.

"Yeah, my families a bit out of sorts too," he said, "like my nephew? So smart with science, but give him an English paper and he won't know a single thing to do. Do you have any kids at school at your house?"

At this point, Marvel knew Flash was just trying to pry into his private life, but he didn't say anything about it. Now that he had a proper life he could talk about (with tweaks, of course), it was rather exciting.

"Yeah, he's in elementary, I think." It was hard to think of his school years when he hadn't _been_ to school for so long. "He's not too good at subjects, but he's trying his best. His parents, my - my friends, they're helping him."

He gave a small, genuine smile.

Martin truly had been attempting to help him with his math, he just had different methods around it. He wasn't a bad person by any means, he just knew that Billy wasn't good at learning and had to go for other ways to teach him. It was fine.

"He finds them difficult," Billy continued on, finding it strange referring himself as third person, "so they have to use different ways to help him learn. It's working, I think."

He sounded unsure most of the time, Billy was aware, but hopefully Flash would assume that it was due to him not having a usual family dynamic.

"Yeah, bribe 'em, that's how I help Wally," Flash agreed, eyes brightening as he held a proper conversation with Captain Marvel without him clamming up.

As if to prove him wrong, Cap jumped up suddenly, checking the time with wide eyes.

"Oh my gosh I'm so late," he muttered to himself, turning to exit the room. He hurriedly walked back to Flash, guilt evident in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, do you mind taking over the last part? It's my turn to, erm, tutor."

Flash nodded, giving Billy a grin. "Don't worry about it, it's hard to mix family time and Watchtower time. You'll find a way eventually."

Billy nodded, before quickly finding his way to the Zeta beam and going to Fawcett.

_He was so late._

* * *

Skidding down the street, Billy was just down the street from the house. It didn't matter how quick he got there, anyway, because Martin wouldn't be happy either way.

Still, he pushed forwards.

Running into the house, Billy took off his shoes and gently placed them down besides the other shoes in the doorway, before taking a deep breath and walking into the next room.

As he expected, Martin and Sarah were sitting at the table, disapproving looks on their faces.

"Billy."

Martin had said it gently, softly. His voice and body gestures had never changed throughout all of his teaching. It showed Billy that it was _normal,_ because how could this man stay as seemingly peaceful while doing those acts?

"You're late. Again."

Sarah had always been scowling, she had an angry attitude which had previously made Billy question his treatment, but she hadn't done much. Her voice was... annoying, for lack of a better word, but she wasn't dangerous. 

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I - I didn't realise the time, I thought I was still on free time. It - it won't happen again, I promise. I swear I didn't do it on purpose."

Martin raised his eyebrow, a silent accusation.

"Do you not think," he prodded tenderly, "that you _might_ have unknowingly done it on purpose?" His eyes were kind as he spoke. "What do you think you deserve from ignoring our orders, Billy?"

Billy shrugged.

"Billy," he pushed, "what do you deserve?"

Billy looked down, fidgeting with his hands before looking Martin in the eye.

"Punishment?" he offered weakly. He hated that he had told them, _told them_ what to do with him, but when Martin gave him that proud grin he couldn't help but feel pleased with himself for making him happy.

"I'm so glad you understand now, Billy," he said warmly, a twinkle in his eye yet again that his wife shared. 

* * *

Marvel had less watch duty than before, he realised. It was probably Clark, understanding that he was new to family and wanted to help him settle in more, but sometimes he wished he had more things to occupy his time.

Never mind that now, though, because he had watch duty now and it was his chance to relax.

"Hi, Clark!" Marvel said cheerfully. It wasn't forced, as he thought it might have been, because everything was _fine_ now. "How are you doing?"

Clark smiled at him, a small frown appearing upon his face when looking at him. "Where did that bruise on your eye come from?"

Marvel faltered slightly, swiftly ignoring it and grinning. "It's nothing, don't worry, the kid is strong and was angry at the idea of school."

Clark nodded, disbelief obvious but he didn't say anything.

"Do you have enough to eat and drink?" Clark said, still concerned. "Everything's okay now?"

"Yes!" Marvel nodded, the grin not disappearing. "They're fine, yep. I'm - I'm gonna go now -"

With that, he quickly hurried off.

That had been a bit too close, this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm trynna think of what to call you guys, but all I could think of was 'lads' but I'm worried that it's not gender neutral enough haha
> 
> So how'd you enjoy that? I tried to like not put much details into the whole abuse section, but it is extremely likely that despite me wanting to keep it detail free to make it so that others can read this, I don't think it is entirely possible.
> 
> If you think I should bump up the rating, tell me and I will do so. And, once again, comment and (if you wanna) leave kudos! :) I'm always available to chat, and I would appreciate feedback! :)


	3. The Night Watching My Every Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bruises were visible, but still nobody pointed them out.
> 
> Until someone did, and it wasn't the person Billy expected to be.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Warning: talking about abuse, implications of abuse

It turned out, funnily enough, the bruises had grown visible after many math lessons, in which Billy had struggled to understand how to do it, and why it was necessary. Of course, he couldn't say anything about that, because he had most certainly learnt his lesson after he had said that before.

But he had realised his bruises were visible (on the Captain, because they were very clear on Billy) when Batman had finally come up to the Watchtower and, once laying eyes on him, instructed him to follow him with a silent nod of his head.

(Word had it that he hadn't been to the Watchtower because of Robin, though there had been something wrong with Robin for a while. Billy had known because he wanted to seek out Batman and try and express help, but he hadn't been around.)

At first, it had shocked him, Batman had just known something was wrong, but he shouldn't be able to notice _this_ quickly.

He hurried after him quickly, knowing that Batman was trying to get away from any accidental eavesdroppers (so basically Superman, who always felt awful after accidentally listening in).

Then Batman turned to him with what appeared to be a... concerned expression?

"Are you okay?" he probed gently, his tone much more different than usual. It sounded like when he spoke to someone younger - but he wouldn't know, he couldn't, he kept it secret _for so long._

"I'm fine. Why are you asking?" Billy enquired, trying to look less childish (and less vulnerable). 

"I can see the bruises," he said, still in that gentle tone of voice that reminded Billy _far too much of Martin and he was fine, he was fine._

"B-bruises?" he stuttered. "No, there's no - you must be seeing things, Mr Batman, sir."

_Dear lord, he sounded more childish now. Martin would not -_

_It didn't matter what Martin thought, he wasn't here._

"They're on your collarbone, Captain Marvel," he said softly. "I believe that the others didn't notice because they're faded?"

He had added that last bit to try and make him feel better about himself, Billy knew, but it didn't work.

"The others didn't notice because there's nothing there to _see,"_ Billy stressed. He felt the strange need to protect Martin and Sarah - they were just _disciplining him,_ he just had problems with authority. "So can you stop? Please?"

Batman moved again, Captain Marvel followed obediently, not wanting Batman to get angry with him. He was confused when they entered someone's quarters, before quickly realising they must be Batman's.

He took his cowl off, and Billy instantly closed his eyes.

"You don't want me to see you, sir, you're just trying to - gain my trust, or something," he muttered, putting his hand across his face.

"Billy..." he said, and that's when he opened his eyes, wide in shock to hearing his name in the Watchtower.

"Wha - I - no, that's not -"

He paused when he realised who he was talking to, paused when he realised who was worrying about him, paused when he realised what this man could possibly be like - did he act like Martin, too?

_He had the tone and expression down._

"B-Bruce Wayne?" he stuttered, moving closer as though to check the authenticity. "I - that's not my name."

Batman - well, Bruce - raised an eyebrow. "I know who you are, Billy Batson."

His name sounded absurd coming out of his mouth.

"And I know you're not in the best situation right now," he continued on, expression softening. "I can always help you if you need it, Billy."

"I'm in a _fine_ situation!" Billy exclaimed, his voice raising suddenly.

No, no, he didn't _need_ to be taken away, other people didn't need to make _his_ decisions _for_ him. If he needed to get away, he would _get away by himself._

_He's done it before, he can do it again._

"Martin and Sarah are fine people, they look after me properly," he continued, his voice raising as he tried to make points, "and they even help me with work when I get stuck! No one else ever tried to do that!"

He kept Martin's ways of helping him out of the conversation. That would not help his cause - and couldn't Bruce understand that he was living _(surviving)_ through all of this _for the Justice League._

All of this was for them, for the Captain to be fit and healthy and able to help within battles and not be _useless on the side!_

"There's nothing wrong with where I live, and even if there was, I'm doing this _for_ the League!"

Bruce gave him a sad look. He seemed to have given up, but Billy knew it wouldn't be that easy.

It was never that easy.

"If you believe that," Bruce said, his voice having never raised above his usual tone, "but remember I'm available if you need me, Billy. I've had experience with kids, and if you ever want to spend time with one your own age, Robin is always available."

"... Maybe."

He wouldn't take him up on that offer.

* * *

"Hello, Victor," Marvel said as he walked past him. Victor looked at him strangely, once again zeroing in on those _dang_ marks on his collarbone.

Why was everybody noticing them, all of a sudden?

"What's with the, ah, different... shades on your collarbone?" Victor said, delicately dancing around the topic.

Behind them, Flash laughed, flinging his arm around Marvel's shoulders.

"I'm sure it's nothing," he said brightly, "after all, they aren't that obvious, so either the person has a weak hit or they've faded. I mean, they should be more obvious, right?"

Marvel gave a weak laugh.

"I - yeah, that's - yeah. There were some, um, teenagers bullying this little kid. I just stepped in and helped."

At that, Flash gave him a fond look.

"Of course our Cap would help a kid out. In costume or without?" 

Again, Marvel was aware that Flash was trying to get some information about his personal life, but he truly didn't mind. It kept him from the awkward conversation that was bound to happen with Victor, anyways.

And this _had_ happened, only it wasn't the cause for those bruises, but rather the ones that were, thankfully, hidden by his costume.

"Without," he said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I mean, there was no time to change."

And after he'd stopped them from bullying the poor kid who couldn't even defend himself (he'd had crutches, and Billy felt he couldn't just leave the kid at the mercy of the bullies), they'd raced after him instead.

He'd been late to his foster home that day, and _that_ had caused the bruises.

"I should've expected that Cap would be a hero with or without the costume," Flash said, a slight boasting tone in his voice attracting the attention of the other heroes.

"I - gosh, it was just some bullies, no big deal," Billy spoke, flustered with the attention he was receiving. "There was, um, no reason for them to be picking on the kid. They couldn't fight back either, I just wanted to help."

Superman gave him a warm look, clearly proud.

Billy blushed even more, backing off, not wanting to be in the centre anymore.

"I, uh, need to go, have a nice day," he quickly said, going to the Zeta beam and quickly leaving.

He regretted it a moment later, acknowledging that he only had one place to go to.

Patrol would be better. He'd go back to his foster home later.

Hopefully, he'd be less angry later, if angry was even the correct term for it.

He sighed.

He was about to power down, when he noticed someone had followed him through the beam.

It was, as he expected, Victor.

"There's nothing wrong," he immediately said. "I was just overwhelmed in there."

"I know, I wanted to talk about those bruises," he said, "because I know how the bruises and stuff appear on Cap. They only show when _Billy's_ had them badly. How?"

Billy looked down.

"It was like I said," he said after a moment. "There were bullies, they'd been targeting this kid for a while and it was unfair. But they, um, turned on me afterwards. It wasn't the best situation to find myself in."

"... And your foster parents didn't help?" Victor questioned, eyebrows raising. They should have noticed, if they had been looking after Billy properly.

"I hid it from them, they didn't need to know."

Looking at Billy's hunched form, Victor could tell something was wrong. 

He regretted not doing anything about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was so much dialogue, guys, I apologise.
> 
> Also the choice of what to call you has been kindly provided by Pipon, so... Heathens or lads? I like Batman apologists as well, but it took me ages to remember how to spell apologists...
> 
> Also, like, I know these have been apart in updating and I'm sorry for that, but I have a lot to do haha
> 
> Online school, of course, then my friend was like "hey hey I want to play this game with you" and then he fell in love with the game and got his heart like broken by it multiple times so that was a lot XD. And, most importantly, I'm trying to find a puppy to adopt :) We have found a few possible puppies, but we need to wait for my family to be less fUSSY
> 
> But yeah, no excuses, this chapter is here now. Bye!
> 
> ~ Hunter (I don't remember if I introduced myself or not. Hi!)


	4. I Make The Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He'd been backed away into a corner, arms crossed against his face as he tried his hardest to not let any tears drip down.
> 
> Martin was not the kind of person he thought he was.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Warning: Abuse, panic attack (badly written and I apologise)

Billy was trying to force his body to stop shaking, but it wasn't doing himself any good. If anything, he appeared to be shaking even more with the amount of force he was exerting on his muscles trying to keep them still.

_(Martin was angry at him moving too much a few days before, so had made him sit in an uncomfortable position at the table, all night, training him on posture. When he'd gotten even more enraged, and had tied his legs to the chair, along with his arms and torso. All in all, he hadn't learnt much, and his body ached far too much for it.)_

It was difficult, what with having to stay still for the entire night before, he just couldn't stop himself from shaking. This meant people noticed, and when people noticed it didn't go too well for him.

 _("Good posture is_ everything, _Billy," Martin said, his voice raising for the first time since Billy moved in with them. He quickly regained control quickly, changing back to that smooth, gentle tone Billy knew and appreciated. "You need to keep that good impression on us, yeah? We took you in, we're_ good _people, you need to keep our appearances clean, and your posture is one way of doing that, and you_ haven't done that.")

He tried his best to keep his back straight, even as Captain Marvel, because people had commented on his slouching before (he just felt it was _wrong_ to be around the same height as Superman). If people had noticed, that meant he was letting Martin down, and he couldn't do that. The man had done so much for him.

 _("Posture," he continued, "is what differentiates the good people from the bad, Billy. If people see you hunched over, they will not see you as the smart young boy you are, and that not only reflects on you, but_ us _as well. You don't want us to be upset with you, do you, Billy?")_

Billy hadn't cared much about people's opinion on him before, but now that Martin has pointed out his horrible posture, he'd all of a sudden become self-conscious. At first, he had started slumping even further, wanting attention off of him, but that was the complete _opposite_ of what Martin wanted. Billy couldn't do that too him.

_("No, of course you don't," Martin replied for him, "because we care for you, and we trust you, and you don't want to betray our trust. Sarah and I, we have given up so much to allow you into our home, and now that you're here you have to put your work into it. You need to help us, Billy, and currently you're not helping us at all.")_

Noticing his small slouch, he immediately straightened up, his back giving a horrible cracking noise as he did so. It had hurt, but Billy didn't wince; he was a superhero, these small things didn't hurt him. 

_(When Billy had straightened up without being told when him, Martin and Sarah had left the house, Martin had a proud smile on his face. "That's it, Billy," he whispered, placing his hand on Billy's shoulder and accidentally - purposefully? No, it couldn't be - pushing down on a bruise there. "I'm glad you know what to do now.")_

Someone was tapping his shoulder, and naturally Billy flinched back, head darting about the room as much as it could without ruining his perfect posture. He backed off slightly, so that Martin (because it had to be Martin noticing that he hadn't kept his back straight the entire time) couldn't reach him, because it was _so difficult to lie to the Justice League all the time -_

_(One time, Billy had thought he was alone and slowly released his tense muscles from their position, when Martin had crept up behind him. "What are you doing?" he whispered in a soft yet deadly tone. "Billy, keep up appearances. You never know when someone's with you, do you?")_

Billy shook his head. "I -"

He didn't manage to get his words out.

 _(Billy couldn't hate him. He was trying to help him, help his future, he had lost so much when he was homeless and Martin was just helping him to gain it_ back -)

Someone was shaking him, but Billy shrunk down even more, because _he knew that he'd lost his posture, and he was_ sorry, _he wouldn't do it again._

 _("The posture is all that_ matters, _Billy," Martin shouted, slamming his hand down on the table in front of him. He took a couple of shaky breaths, but didn't bother turning back to the usual Martin. That one was only for show. "If your muscles hurt, get over it. If they begin to shake, to spasm, that means you didn't_ practice _enough, you didn't try hard enough to make me_ happy. _That's all I want, Billy, just for this one small thing to make me happy.")_

Billy was taking in small, harsh breaths, and he could hear someone telling him to breathe, but couldn't they understand how _difficult_ it was to breathe when the world was falling apart because he couldn't do _one simple thing -_

He felt arms wrap around him, and that's what confused him, because Martin and Sarah would _never_ do this, but this had to be wrong, he had to be imagining it because this wouldn't _happen -_

He tried to open his eyes (he didn't even realise he had shut them), but all he could see was black before the person holding him hushed him, holding him tighter -

He was sobbing, he noticed after a moment, and _dear gods, the Justice League were going to notice everything, they were going to kick him out, this was the end of it for him -_

There was someone else soothing him, slowly rubbing his arm, but they didn't have the awful, long nails that Sarah had, so it wasn't her, he wasn't with Martin and Sarah -

He was being hushed again, and he didn't even know he was speaking, and he was so, so, so sorry that he was speaking, but he didn't have any control over his mouth at the moment and it wasn't letting him _stop,_ all his thoughts were spilling with _no filter -_

He felt the person holding him nod, perhaps in understand, perhaps in annoyance, but he still clung on further, because despite it all these two people were _safe -_

And a wave of exhaustion suddenly swept over him with no warning, and he passed out in the person's arms.

* * *

Waking up, he didn't understand what was going on.

He was in the Champion's form, but he felt _so much like Billy that it was wrong -_

He was working himself up again, and he really, _really_ didn't want to, because he was already _so_ tired that he felt like sobbing, but he couldn't, there were no more tears _left._

"Hey, hey, calm down, Cap," a familiar voice soothed, but the name was wrong because he _wasn't_ Cap at the moment, he was -

"We can't use that name at the moment, Cap," the person said, sympathising with his obvious confusion. "We've got other people here. They're worried about you. So am I."

He was trying to explain that it was _fine,_ he wasn't Cap at the moment, he felt nothing like Cap, but the words wouldn't escape him in the way he wanted to. 

"You won't like it later, Cap," the person spoke, placing a hand on his arm, "and you'll be annoyed I didn't stop you now. No more big arguments between us, we've had far too many recently."

He was still trying to figure out who it was, because his mind was all scrambled and he _knew_ this person but their name was slipping his mind, and along with that he didn't understand why they weren't letting him use _his_ name, because it was his, right?

"It's Victor, Cap." He sounded sad. "And yeah, your name _is_ yours, but you don't want some people to know it. Any people to know it."

That's when he started spouting what sounded like gibberish to him, but apparently Vic understood, because _Batman_ knew his name, and he knew Batman's name, it was still so surreal to him because he didn't find himself trustworthy in the least, but _Batman did -_

"Batman do- excuse me?" Victor said all of a sudden. He rounded on Batman, anger a clear expression on his face. "You snooped!" he accused. "I asked you not to, I said he wouldn't trust you or listen to you because he needs to do it on his own terms, and you _snooped!"_

Honestly, the word 'snooped' sounded ridiculous coming out of an adult's mouth, and his thoughts _also_ sounded ridiculous at this point, because he was really just trying to get away from the inevitable, but he would much rather sleep because he was _so tired -_

"Go to sleep, Cap," Batman spoke, Billy recognising his voice instantly. He wasn't sure why. "We'll speak to you later."

Billy obeyed. He always listened nowadays.

* * *

When he woke again, his thoughts were much less jumbled, and he felt that if he spoke he would be able to properly hear himself speak.

Hopefully, his thoughts were his own this time, without everyone being privy to hearing them.

"Hey, Cap," Victor said carefully. He was sat next to him, and Billy jumped at not noticing him previously.

"Hi," he spoke softly, his voice hoarse. "Can - can you get me some water, please?"

Victor nodded, looking immensely pleased that he could do something - or that Billy was talking properly again, without breaks in between words and speaking whatever came into his mind.

He returned quickly, giving the glass to Billy, who took it with shaky hands. He was half scared that he'd drop it, but he didn't want to ask for help. He'd been too much trouble already today.

Remembering his small panic, he jumped, almost spilling the water. "What's the time?" he demanded. "Oh gods, I should have been home _ages_ ago."

Victor's eyes hardened. "I don't think it's safe for you to go back right now."

Billy looked even more panicked at that statement, putting his glass on the side next to the bed and standing, almost unsuccessfully, on his wobbly legs.

"No, no, they're going to be _so_ worried about me. They'll have had no contact from me for ages!"

Victor looked shocked, then, as though he were expecting Billy to be happy he couldn't see Martin and Sarah.

"I just _left,_ we'd had a fight, kinda," Billy rushed to explain, "they probably think I've run away again, holy moley, I need to leave _now."_

"Calm down, Cap," Victor said after he'd gotten over his surprise, "we - well, no, _I -_ thought that they'd caused that panic attack. We'll find a way to contact them soon, don't worry."

Billy's raised breathing calmed down at that.

Thank the gods. He just wanted Sarah and Martin _happy._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so long ahhhhhhh
> 
> I have like other fics in the making haha that I felt more like doing XD But I'm here, I'm back, with good spelling and grammar unlike the comments, where they are just all lowercase and have mistakes here and there.
> 
> Guys that panic attack wasn't even planned I - I just wanted to make some small flashbacks during a League meeting, not that -  
> I would like to say for the panic attack it is supposed to be fast paced, he is supposed to be taking in everything and yet nothing, it's supposed to be long sentences without a proper stop at the end. That's how I imagine these to be written, and if that's a crap way of writing then... sorry?
> 
> (To that one French commenter, I apologise for the French thrown at you, because it was google translate as I do not know French and I wanted to try my best to reply in what I assume is your native language? Thank you for the compliments, though :) I took French for two years and took absolutely none of it in haha)
> 
> ~ Hunter


	5. Mistakes Were Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The others had no idea what was going on. Victor had suspicions, but he didn't want to admit them, because surely they'd be his fault?
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Warning: Panic attack, description of body moving around (like... I don't know how to explain I'll mark with vvv ^^^) implications of abuse

Victor always kept an eye on Captain Marvel, almost unconsciously. Not because he was a ten-year-old (although that may play a small - big - role in it), but because along with his age, he was genuinely the most upbeat, positive person on the League. When he wasn't happy, then there was something wrong, and Captain Marvel was _not_ okay.

No one else had appeared to notice, other than Batman, but the man noticed everything so was that really shocking?

The boy's breathing was picking up (he wasn't really a man, and nothing else would fit), and there were small, just conspicuous enough for Victor to see, shivers and shakes.

His eyes seemed to fade out of reality at some points, before coming back at others, then disappearing. Victor was concerned, but didn't want to start a fuss in the middle of a meeting, because Bats always got annoyed when someone interrupted.

(Of course, he'd likely be more lenient, especially since it was Cap. Everyone was more lenient on Cap.)

The shakes were increasing, Victor observed, and he knew that if they got much worse he'd have to gently take him out the room. The only problem was that obviously Cap was trying to stop the shaking, but that only appeared to make it worse.

Victor wondered what Billy had been doing that made his muscles spasm as much as they had been.

Billy always hated it when people noticed, though. Victor had learnt to make his little checks more subtle, due to the small panics that would happen when Billy _did_ notice. He never wanted anyone to worry about him.

All of a sudden, in one of the rare moments where nobody had anything to say in the meetings, Cap straightened up so quickly a loud _crack_ could be heard. Victor dropped anything he was holding - which, honestly, was nothing of importance compared to Cap - and rushed over.

Cap hadn't given a wince or anything that indicated he was in pain, which he _must_ have been. Even with his much higher tolerance to pain, with no adrenaline, Victor felt he must have felt even a little bit of pain. 

"Hey, hey, Cap?" Victor spoke softly, gently prodding him on the shoulder. In all honesty, considering the panic attack that had deeply enveloped him by this point, it wasn't the _best_ attempt.

He was panicking, okay?

**vvv**

Billy had violently flinched back, and Victor tried to move away yet still comfort him. His head looked frantically around the room, yet it seemed to almost be unattached from his body in the way that it moved in a _vulgar_ way.

Billy was trying to keep his posture, it looked like, but the way he was still trying to look around while doing so made his eyes bulge. The boy still didn't notice, as out of it as he was, but Victor was trying his best to keep his head still.

He clicked his fingers, Billy instantly turning his head to look. It made another horrible _crack_ from his neck, but he didn't take any notice of it, trying to stay focused on the hands in front of him. Victor put his palms up, trying to show he was _safe,_ because Billy was so out of it that he didn't know.

The veins in his neck had been turning purple with the pressure Billy had exerted while keeping his body in the same spot while moving his head around. It had calmed down slightly by this time; Victor was still worried.

**^^^**

When Billy began to try and back off in his chair (failing considering the chair was good at staying in one place, Bats made sure of that for reasons no one would know), he only succeeded in arching his back and collapsing back into the chair again. Still, he didn't appear to have noticed, almost believing he was scrambling on the floor with the movements of his arms and legs to support this.

He shook his head sharply, suddenly. He opened his mouth, ready to speak, but only let out a small, "I-" before falling silent again.

Victor didn't know what was wrong, but he was anxious still. He hadn't seen this from his normally positive friend before.

(In his mind, he knew only one thing had changed and that was Billy's home life, but he wanted _so badly_ for it to not be his fault -)

Now Barry had stood, walking over to him with a seemingly calm aura, before dropping in front of Billy and attempting to gently shake him to reality.

Billy let out a small whine, but he still didn't seem aware, and began speaking rapidly. "I know, I _know,_ I'm sorry, it won't - it won't happen again."

He'd paused once again, trying to take in deep breaths but only turning out to take harsh ones, unable to control his breathing properly. This was when Batman stepped in, Barry and Victor at a loss of what to do.

_Vic had never done this before, what had Billy been through -_

"You need to breathe, Cap," he said quietly, placing a hand on his arm. "Try to breathe with me, yeah?"

Billy gave a small sob, putting his face into his hands. "It's so _hard,_ why don't you _get it,_ I can't do one simple thing right -"

Instantly, Batman wrapped his arms around him, trying to comfort him through a hug. It seemed like it was working, for the most part, as Billy's babbles lessened until they stopped. 

Bats pulled back for a moment, Billy's eyes opening slightly before Bats enveloped him in a hug again, calming him down easily.

Billy attempted to wrench himself out of his grip seconds later, whining slightly before his thoughts rushed out of him all at once. "They're gonna notice, they're gonna notice," he murmured, clutching his hair before Bats slowly moved his hand to his own, allowing Billy to hold onto something. "They're gonna - they're gonna kick me out."

Another small sniff, then Billy lunged forwards to shove his face into Batman's shoulder, his own shaking through the force of his sobs. Victor, feeling the need to help him out slightly (especially after the information Billy had just given them), began to rub his arm, hushing him softly. 

"'M sorry, 'm sorry, I didn't know I was speaking," Cap rushed to explain, "I don't - I don't have _control,_ I can't stop and everything's _spilling and I can't stop it."_

Batman nodded, clearly understanding. He wouldn't be angry at Cap anyway, Victor knew, because nobody would ever be angry at Cap. 

Billy clung onto Bats, the man's hug grounding him along with him slowly moving into Victor's touch. Victor knew then that Billy felt safe, something he hadn't felt often, and he was determined to never let this feeling stop.

And then Billy fell unconscious in Batman's arms, Victor feeling a wave of panic come upon him.

No, no, he was fine, Billy was fine, he was just tired. He'd been saying how tired he was lately.

Still, Victor stayed close out of anxiety, not wanting to be apart from Billy for too long. He wanted to be there when the boy woke up.

* * *

Victor noticed the moment Billy woke up, as the boy instantly began to work himself up into another state.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Cap," he tried to soothe, feeling out of his depth.

"That - that's _wrong,"_ Billy said, "that's not my name, I don't _feel_ like Cap at the moment, I feel like -"

Victor cut him off, feeling bad for doing so but knowing that it was the easiest way to get Billy to stop talking. "We can't use that name at the moment, Cap. We've got other people here. They're worried about you. So am I."

Victor knew now that Billy, again, didn't have any control over what he was saying. He didn't know what to do, really, and the other League members also looked lost. Still, they had stayed, the ones that didn't have to urgently leave, and that was good enough for Victor.

"It's fine, it's fine," Billy said, "I'm not - I'm not feeling like Cap at the moment, I can't - I can't."

Victor crouched down, bending his knees as he came face to face with Billy on the bed. "You won't like it later, Cap," he placed a hand on Billy's arm, hoping it would come across as soothing and not stress-inducing, "and you'll be annoyed I didn't stop you now. No more big arguments between us, we've had far too many recently."

Billy's face scrunched up then, the boy clearly thinking. "I don't - I'm trynna think who it is, but my mind is so scrambled, and I _know_ who you are, but I can't think of your name. And I wanna use _my_ name, cause it's mine, isn't it?"

Victor's heart went out to Billy then, feeling bad for the boy feeling this way. Especially along with him being unable to control what came out of his mouth - it must be awful. Billy didn't like pity, though, so Victor tried to shove it down so it didn't come out in this tone.

"It's Victor, Cap." He'd succeeded in keeping the pity away, but he couldn't stop the sadness. "And yeah, your name _is_ yours, but you don't want some people to know it. Any people to know it."

"But - _Batman_ knows my name, and I know Batman's name, and it's still so weird cause he _trusts_ me, and I'm not good to trust -"

Rage filled Victor then, at the thought that Batman had gone after Billy's real name without his consent and trust, yet Billy sounded so awed that _Batman_ trusted him with his own name that he didn't feel it was right. "Batman do- excuse me?"

Still, he rounded on Bats. His pent-up emotions needed to be let loose somehow. "You snooped! I asked you not to, I said he wouldn't trust you or listen to you because he needs to do it on his own terms, and you _snooped!"_

The other League members looked confused, and that's when Victor remembered that not many people knew that he knew Cap's identity. 

But Billy had begun speaking again, so Victor once again tried to push his emotions down, so he listened. That seemed the most he could do.

"- sounds silly comin' out of an adult's mouth, but my thinking _also_ sounds silly, but I just want to get away but I want to go sleep because I'm so _tired."_

"Go to sleep, Cap," Batman spoke. Billy looked over to him immediately, seeming to recognise his voice. "We'll speak to you later."

Billy listened, shutting his eyes and trying to even out his breathing. He didn't let out another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the lovely comments, you guys are the best :)  
> This is shorter than usual because it's just a thing of the previous chapter, and after the bit I left off on was where Billy was able to talk and think properly the previous chapter.  
> Especially because of the long breaks between updates, we got our puppy... five days ago? Yeah, and he's lovely, his name is Monty, but dear lord he's been so ill :(  
> Been vaccinated against worms? Got worms, he's a poorly puppy  
> He's like, not one for falling back asleep after waking up but he did it like straight away for an hour and a half  
> So I'll be away for a whileeeee, maybe, I'm not sleepin with him tonight but I am tomorrow, so...  
> On morning duty though, so I'mma be a sleepy boi  
> Sorry this turned into ranting about my new pupper XD
> 
> Hope you liked the chapter! Hopefully I will be able to finish this series soon, cause I need to have more free time XD  
> ~ Hunter


End file.
